Supper's Ready
"Supper's ready.", the quiet little man whispered to the room of enthralled diners.
"Ohh, lovely!", said an older woman with a dewlapped neck. "I've heard SO much about this place and their dishes."
"Tonight, you're in for a treat. Johnson Ribs Au Jus with asparagus in a delicate bechamel sauce and an invigorating peppermint potato."
"Peppermint potato?" a fat man said with some concern. "I've never heard of such a thing!"
"The potatoes are mashed and the mint is very light. It adds refreshing highlights to the au jus from the ribs. Trust me, Sir, you will be very happy."
"I should hope so!" the man blustered, "Now, what is this Johnson rib nonsense?"
"Well, Sir, it is the name of the originator of the dish."
"Ah, all right, then.", the blustery man seemed content.
"Very good, Sir. Are there any more questions?" The quiet little man looked around the table, making contact with each of the six diners at the table. "No? Then, let the feasting begin."
The first course out of the kitchen was a delicately seasoned salad with strips of what appeared to be bacon placed along the sides.
A large woman at the end of the table moaned as she ate the dish.
"Oh, this is marvelous." she exclaimed. "I love the pralines and bacon together. Such a wonderful pairing of salty and sweet."
The quiet little man bowed. "I am glad you have enjoyed it, and now, the soup. A bone broth with faux duck confit."
"Faux duck? I did not pay $1500 a plate for faux anything!" exclaimed the blustery man.
"Faux, in this case, Sir, merely means that it is not duck. The actual meat is a trade secret. It has a similar taste profile to duck but is far richer. Try it, I implore you."
The man tentatively spooned out some of the confit and placed it in his mouth. His eyes rolled back in his head in ecstasy.
"No Sir, nothing faux here."
The diners continued their meal in silence, only pausing to take sips of wine and pat their mouths with their napkins.
"A palate cleanser before we continue?", the quiet little man signalled to the waiters who brought out small bowls of melon sorbet. The diners quickly downed the dish and waited expectantly.
"And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, I present our main course. Johnson Ribs Au Jus."
The wait staff brought out the plates and put them before the diners. Each contained a small rack of long, thin ribs, a half dozen asparagus sprouts with a cream sauce across the middle and mashed potatoes with a sprig of mint in the center. For some minutes there was nothing but the clack and ting of cutlery on plates, the sipping of wine and a low buzz of conversation could be heard around the room.
The blustery man spoke up, "I say, I should like to meet this Johnson fellow. His ribs are spectacular!"
The little man smiled deprecatingly "Quite impossible, I'm afraid. Mr. Johnson had another dinner appointment. If you would like to come back after the meal, Sir, I can show you where the meal was prepared."
"Yes, that will be very good, Sir. Thank you."
The little man nodded his head. "And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, if you would retire to the Parlor, we will be serving coffee, port and cigars. We thank you for your patronage." He walked to the Blustery Man.
"Mister?"
"Darion Fitzwilliam."
"Ah, very good. Mr. Fitzwilliam, please come this way."
The little man lead Fitzwilliam through the door to the kitchen. He opened it and allowed the blustery man to go ahead of him, as he entered the room, he reached up to the left for a large bat. He continued his arm down and struck Fitzwilliam across the back of his neck. Fitzwilliam dropped to the floor like a sack. The little man gestured to the prep staff. "Take him back to the preparation room. In two weeks, we will be serving Roast Haunch Fitzwilliam."
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